Joseph IIFan" Bourgeau Digest: M. L. Spencer Reel I Check: J. Infiorati september 13, 1972 Check: S. M. Goodpastor Check: Richard B. Allen Also Present: Karl Gert Zur Heide Retyped: Kay Wicker Richard B. Allen

Fan Bourgeau could ask older men or some of his relatives

about older people. FB and RBA give the date and address of this

interview: 706 N. Lopez st.

FB knew Freddy Washington () well and also Clarence

Williams. FB played with Chris Kelly in his five piece band.

He also played with Alphonse Picou a long time, and with Walter

"Fats" Pichon, Kid Rena, Kid Howard, Kid Thomas lValentinel and

IIlBrotherl Cornbrea9." [Thomas}. FB and "Cornbread," had a band

together.

FB taught [Georgel Guesnon to play the banjo. GG never

1:11 had a banjo.

Johnny st. Cyr was FB'S first guitar teacher. Later, FB

switched from guitar to banjo. JSC played "with us" in the 4100

block of the Airline Highway; he had an old truck named "Caldonia."

Also playing on the Airline Highway with FB were Lawrence "Tocca"

[Martin], who has since died, and Peter "Peter Rabbit" Williams.

FB mentions a Texas millionaire and The Petroleum Club. A cornet-

ist whose name FB has forgotten but who used to play at the

Hollywood was also with the band on the Airline Highway.

FB jays that he used to play in a little band with Blue

[Robertso.nl. Blue drank so much wine that he passed away. ll Joseph "Fan Bourgeau -2- Reel I September 13, 1972

FB can't remember the name of the nightclub in which he played

'1:39 on Airline Highway.

For two years, FE played for Frank Quintella lsp?l at

Toulouse and Decatur I,fStreetsl. They played "" music

from nine to three a.m. every night. The band members were;

FEr piano; Hughes, sax; Albert Francis, drums; "Alphonse Picou,

[clarinett and Peter Williams~ii.e., Peter Alexander?j, violin

and lead man. [Cf. other reels on Peter Alexander.l

2:03 FE went to a recording session of Kid Thomas [valentine's

bandj [for Alden Ashforth and wyckoff, issued on American MUSi~

It is not clear in FE's memory. George Guesnon played FS's banjo.

Sometimes he borrowed a banjo from FE who usually owned at least

three. GG took one banjo to Jackson, [Miss.l and never returned

it. A banjo of GG's is in the Museum now, but it acutally belongs

to a friend of FB'S.

After playing regularly, FB formed his own band: Henry

Revel, drums; Harold Christophe, tenor sax; FBr banjo. Lawrence

uTocfa" lMartinJ played for a while but got sick. FB then got , . Blue [Robertsonl, wpo died [Cf. notes on FB, c. 19661. FB even-

tually got Leroy Thompson, also called Leroy Johnson. He was FEls

last trumpeter. He also sings.

2:45 When FB was first interes,ted in music [Cf. Interview Fan

Bourgeau, Reel I, Sept. 24, 1959, p. 11, a man named Wallace gave Joseph IIFan" Bourgeau -3- Reel I september 13} 1972

~him a five-string banjo. FB bought a book 1i.e.J a method?1• i. A friend p~rsuaded FB to play banjo with a band one night. After " that~ FB bought a banjo from Howard Voorhies of Werlein's {Music

" storeY It was a thirty-five dollar banjo called ULittle Wonder" , '-., and he played this first banjo for a long time. FB mentions that

h~SOld one banjo to a doctor. At this same time, FB had three

; he often bought them. He has had one particular banjo for

about forty years.

FB played in the same band with Johnny st. Cyr in a night-

club in the 4900 block of the Airline Highway every Friday and

Saturday night. (See abbv~ FB was playing piano; JSC, guitar.

~n a Ne"J Year I s Eve Lawrence [UTocfa II Martinl told the [bossl

that elsewhere the boss always gave them a fifth of whiskey on that

date. This boss, who was big, told L"TlIM that he (the bossj

would hit him if he wasn't so small. FB and JSC were playing

together a little more than twenty years ago.

FB learned to play a five-string banjo from a book, using

a pick.

Now FB is on his veteran's pension and on Social Security.

He stopped working at sixty-two 1 and he began to draw on his

veteran's pension. At 65, he got both of his pensions. For twenty

years he has been on a pension.

FB mentions a jam session at Julius Handy's place. FB was

playing and one fellow had a four-string five-string banjo.

(He had taken one string off.) FB took off the fifth string~J Joesph "Fan" Bourgeau -4- Reel I September 13, 1972

since he didn't use it. One of FB's friends from New Orleans,

"plays the life out of" a five-string banjo; he thinks he plays

at Preservation Hall. FB can't remember friend!:; name, who also ~ plays guitar [not Danny Barkerl. f'i. FB went to William Russell to buy some strings and told

him that he knew Jelly Roll Morton. He saw JRM every Monday

when they [The Orleans Pleasure Club] would serve JRM a bean

dinner, and he would play the piano. [Cf. Interview: Fan Bourgeau,

Reel I •• Sept. 24, 1959, /.2.1 The Club had bought a piano some

time back. FB would practice on this piano daily until he learned

to play.

~ mins George Guesnon [banjo?, gUitar?] and FB, piano, played for

a long time at the Bali club. The man hiring there wanted to

pay them ninety dollars a week while he would keep the tips. GG

C.~~aidl I'~O indeed"; he and FB took a smaller salary and kept their

tips. This proved profitable; the tips were large. This Bali

t~~lUb was in the 500 block of Dauphine, next door to [Gaspar's?l

where Burnell Santiago played piano. FB thinks Burnell santiago

was the best piano player in all __Louisiana tlthough he could ) not read.

sammy Hopkins ·is FB's piano player now. People now have

gotten rid of their . 1 11

FB has had a job "over the river" every year for the past seven

years, playing in the morning for some school teachers. SH can't / J play during the day now because he is working. FB tells KGZH '" '-' ,.,.' .Joseph "Fan·' Bourgeau -::>- Reel I september 13, 1972

that he will give him SH's phone number and address latero

FB speaks of Lawrence, a piano player employed at the Port

j of Embarcation across the river [sic~l. RBA doesn't know

Lawrence 0 RBA suggests that the piano-player IDight be Lars Edegran.

FB agrees a FB mentions the Japanese musicians, Yoshio "Claiborne"

Toyama and Keiko Toyama, living at 924· Orleans street in ~~e city.

I REA knows them, saying that YT is coming backo iC__=

rPaul Antoin", his drum;ner, has a large "ole time drum." paul Antoine has one brother, Herman, playing gUitar, another

brother, Harold, playing drums also. FB says that Harold Antoine

could play anytime; sammy Hopkins, piano, couldn't play in the

day for picnics, etc.

Twenty years ago, FB played piano at· "back-alley fish fries";

he played mostly blueso FB, piano, played for two years with

[Alphonsel Picou, , and with Albert Francis, drums. Other

pian~ players who played on fish fries and in about the sa~e style

were [Walter} Decou and Burnell Santiagoa Santiago learned to play

the piano early and died youngi he was on dopeo FB mentions that

he doesn't smoke a~y kin3 of cigaretteso FB also says that WD is

[Cfa WD's obituaryo WD died Dec. 12, 19661 (

'", -Tn :) ~no~~er gooi piano player at fish fries was Cninee

Charlie, who died younga (FB aoes not knm..; his real name.) 11 Jubie"

/ [sp?} was another go~d piano player over thirty. years ago o FB

knew "Jubie" when FB was " a young guy too, just coming up" 0 FB Joseph "Fan" Bourgeau -6- Reel I September 13, 1972

played in a~ot of "tunks" and also played in many "speake.asies. II

He mentions two piano p1ayers~ saying that they are good: Willie

and Red cayou. RBA asks WhiC~ Willie this is, saying that Willie

Forrest was murdered in a toilet during Mardi Gras when he flashed

his money. FB doesn't know how Willie died.

KGiH shows photograph of RC [in KGZH'S Deep South Piano.l

RC went to California, after he "gigedll [stabbed?l a woman here.

The photo doesn't look like RC , FB says. FB ~ays RC was a bright It-.j briquet, a light-skinned [Negrol with kinky red hair. RC had . '\

"bad hair- - red-looking hair. II FB calls this type of person a

Mariny [sp?l briquet~

FB met a typical briquet in Hot Springs lArkansasl while

taking the baths. This fellow asked FB what a briquet was;? FB

said he didn't know because this fellow was a typical briquet.

FB was called "Fan" because he looked like a Chinaman when

he was small. Chinese like fans, FB says. He had long black hair

though it's turned to silver.

FB went to Hot Springs twice to take the baths since he had

made a lot of money writing lottery. He could have had a job

playing the piano in a night club there but instead returned to

New orleans. He could make one hundred and fifty to two hundred

dollars a week in lottery, which was good money twenty-five to

thirty years ago.

FB went to £hicago for sixty days and left there on September / . ; 'j J " I, 1922, when it began to snow. He played the piano where he was JoSeph "Fan" Bourgeau -7- Reel I September 13, 1972 living and met {Richard M.l Mariney Jones. lef. sheet music of

"Sweet Baby Doll, II back coverJ RMJ advised FE to stay in Chicago to sell "them blues" he was playing. FB said "no;" he is g:>ing

h'Jme to write lottery. He was making II n ice money" at lottery.

FB'S father was dead, but m~ther and brother were living at this c =

FE used to write a lot of lottery when the [Red Light}

District was open. The whores used to play Il p l enty lottery." \e­ After the District was closed down, the &peakeasies had a hard time. It was then that (Kidl Keiffer, trumpet, asked FB to take a trip with him. FB agreed. The first stop on the trip was

McComb~ Mississippi, where they played that same night ~t the

McClunkan [sp?l Hotel. I? 1 named the band The New

Orleans Harmony Kings. There was a piano on the upper balcony of a McComb drugstore where FB played and passed the hat. Hearing

FB's piano playing, the boys from the band of the McClunkan [sp?l·

Hotel came over to see who it was. Charlie Love, trumpet, was.

[with FB or among them?} The band members invited Kid Keiffer and FB to play at the McClunkan [sp?l Hotelo They agreed and played that night. The next day FB and KK played at a matinee dance. Afterwards FB and KK went on the road, playing a couple of numbers in the evening (Le., afternoonl, telling people that they were playing that night, hiring halls for each night an~ Joseph "Fan" Bourgeau -8- Reel I September 13 , 1972

charging admission. Thei~was a five piece band: Keiffer, FB,

a slide trombone player, and a drummer. [This is four pieces.}

FB can't remember their names or the fifth member of the band.

,I Another time "we" were on the road with Charlie Love and Willie ______

Paj aud. lWithout Keiffer.l They played a couple of jobs in a

town in Louisiana (not Donaldsonville). They stayed in the 1600

block of lNarrow?j street. The band wasn't doing well so FB went

home regularly to New Orleans .. to get his unemployment pay. When

the lottery opened again. FB came back home to work. FB says that

he made good money in the lottery. He had a shop in his housetA/

and employed a woman to work by the week.

In Chicago FB did not have a regular solo piano job. He

practiced the piano daily in the place where he lived. FB met r -- "'''" \ C 1,':1" pianist IRichard M.l "My ~nee" Jones,. and listened to him play.

[see above} He also listened to "One Eyed Buck," playing in the

3300 block of state [street, chicago}. [Cf. Walter c. Allen and

Brian Rust, King Joe Oliver•••J/"' ~BA suggests that FB means

"Bad-Eye" Joe. FB agrees with !tBA that this Gan was Joe Oliver,

who sent for Louis Armstrong. RBA says he's never heard Joe Oliver

referred to as "One-Eyed Buck."

End of Reel I Fan Bourgeau Notes: Richard B. Allen ( Reel III Summary: Kay L. Wicker september 13, 1972 Check: Richard B. Allen Retype: Paul W. Smith Date Completed: Sept. 8, 1977

Also present: Karl Gert zur Heide Richard B. Allen Coates [FB's roomer}

Sam Morgan had a violin in his band toward the end only, not in the early days. Peter [Alexander?] [ ?}

[A.JJ Piron continued to play althoug"n violin "had gone out [of style}. Piron was a good violinist and a jazz violinist. [Cf. records.} AJP read. "He was first class. 1I AJP played on the lake.

He was [leading by REA here) at Tranchina's with his six piece band.

All the band members are now dead.

Peter Alexander is now dead as is his wife. His son, P.J.

Alexander lives tn Baltimore, Maryland.

Jimmie Noone, saxophonist [sic~~}, lived next door to FB in the

800 block of [Northl Roman street. [See IN file for information about city directories.] This is over twenty years ago, says FE.

REA says this must be over fifty years ago, maybe fifty-five. Paul

Barbarin used to live next door to FB also. IN played clarinet but wound up playing saxophone. IN played "with different fellows I" not in his own band. At one time musicians [ ?}

Frank [who?} got FB for a job at the Powder Puff on Chartres near

St. Louis Cathedral. Frank [who?} paid the othe"r three band members fifty cents each~~ FB played at the Popeye for $1.00 a night on Fan Bourgeau Reel III September 13, 1972 Page 2

Decatur Street. [Ernie} Cagnolatti lcornet playerl played at the

Popeye, and so was nicknamed "Popeye." FB ne'ver played with him, but FB was often playing near his jobs.

Musicians wound up their evening at the Last Roundup on

Bienville near Daup~ine at the former site of the Virginia Kitchen.

FB would play till daybreak. Each musician would take a turn. FB tries to remember musicians that might :bave played there. He mentions a saxophone player whose name he can't recall. This musiciarls brother played slide trombone. RBA mentions Louis Nelson, Boots and

Sport Young. RBA says Band SY used to play in taxi-dance halls.

FB says they may have been the ones.

FB says that boogie woogie.was played by all the bands. Boogie woogie was ptQyed in the early days. Violinists sounded like a saxophone. The band with FB consisted of violin, banjo, piano, and bass. FB still..plays boogie woogie blues. Leroy [Thompson} still plays boogie woogie. liThe Second Line" was t~1eir theme song. In

FB's band there was Peter Alexander on violin, Mrs. Peter Alexander on piano, Alphonse Picouon clarinet, and FB. They play allover the

J Vieux Carre. They usually had four pieces.

George Jones, bassist, "never could play no bass"" and was "more of a jive." lCf. other interviews.l GJ used to be around the LBi9l

25.

Louis Borgeau, a one-legged man, [ ?l at the [Big} 25. J Fan Borgeau Reel III September 13, 1972 Page 3

FB never heard anyone play "the horses" on piano. [Cf. Danny

." . Barker article in For Now magazine.l -~--

Manuers son in previou~ interview must be Manuel Perez's son.

He played cornet with FB o The son is also named Manuel Perez. He

looked like his father o He was ofUight complectionl and had

straight black hair.

_•.. ~ .... ~.' _....h_. __ .' .

(KGzH is talking. on the telephone.)

10 mins. FB was in Germany in World War I. He was a French interpreter

in France. FB went to France after the war was over. He played in

France. He had an organ in a box car where they lived. He played wit~ e...,,"- ,,",e~. boogie woogie blues While the men dancedA FB drank white vin [i.e., Wine} Bordeaux. FB was the only one in his company of two hundred-

fifty who could speak French. FB can't sing, even IIEh La Bas. 1I FB

says he has no voice. FB got Dee Dee [Piercel where he is today.

FB recommended him to [ ?l. DDP played at the 1I0ld Folk's

Horne" [i.e., Luthjen's1 with Billie [Pierce}.

13 mins • (coates [roomer} arrives.l FB played a lot with DDP and BP.

.) C =-

Blue ~obertsonl was a good trumpet player. He sang a lata Fan Bourgeau Reel III september 13, 1972 Page 4

-=~':--­)

IBR made people laugh by making small steps. FB e has a book listing his jobs. He had four jobs in one month, I\ver

less than two. His roll pf rnone~ was getting bigger. He was

getting ready to go to California.

FB's relatives are in California including an old cousin Who

has been there for fifty years. He must be 85 or 87 years old.

His sister brought him out there on a pass to work in Fresno on a

sawmill. She and her husband are dead.

Paul Beaulieu had plenty of sheet music. George Guesnon also

had plenty, but FB. doesn't know what became of it. People burned

up things like these. Everyt~ing except PB's piano was stolen

after he died. FB'S brother lived right around the corner from PB.

Leroy {Thompson} lived across the street and still does.

PB and Osceola Blanchet [sp?l couldn't play jazz. They had

to have [sheet] music.

Dr. Herbert Blanks Isp?} sang with PB, married PB's sister

) -in-law. He sang in white ta·i1s. He now lives in Bay St. Louis

oi'some other "country town," but was from Cairo, Illinois.. He

made $154 a day as a dentist. He had a government contract Fan Bourgeau Reel III September 13, 1972 Page 5

pulling soldier's teeth. He had a baby grand piano that FB t110Ught

was very hard to play. FB's sister-in-law has a spinet• ., . l8mins. FB had a job on the day before Carnival [i.e., Mardi Grasl.

FB knew no "black-key pianists" (i.e., ones who played mostly

on the black keys}. REA mentions Birmingham, Black Pete, perhaps

Son Swan, and Big Eye Louis. FB confuses Big Eye Louis Nelson, with

whom FB played at Luthjen's, and Big Eye Louis Robertson•. Ed Mercier

was a p~p in the [red lightl district and a pianist. FB went in

the district at the age of nine. His uncle lived there. His uncle

had a saloon. ,[Sloan Mattie? Manny?] had a restaurant in the district.

FB got . money from him. Manuel Manetta played at Lulu Wnite's. FB

played at the Big 25 when he was very young. (Redl,. Cayou nand

them" played there land?} at st. Bernard and Claiborne. Adam Zeno

lsp?} had a bar with a piano in it. At 7:00 am they would call FB

to play for sporting women.

22 mins. KGzH finishes taping. He is saving [cassette} tape for Simon Frazier. FB listened to SF. ( \Another Frazier brother is a

good pianist.

The late Joe Robichaux's father Ii.e., unclel [John} Robichaux

was a left-handed violinist. FB played with him at La Louisianne,

which was on a corner. John Robichaux had a big band. JR intro-

duced FB as a banjoist from the coast of California. FB played Fan Bourgeau Reel III september 13, 1972 Page 6 at Crescent and Tulane Theaters U.e., with John Robichaux?].

[Alphonsel·Picou told John Robichaux about FB.

REA asks about pianist Alford Wilson, and FB changes the subject to Paul Moliere who plays piano and [sings?l. He is a big fellow and looks like a Filipino. RBA mentions pianist Frank

Moliere who is short. Udell Wilson played around the whores in the [red lightl district. OW played at the'Entertainer's with singer Nookie Johnson. Nookie Johnson and Willie Jackson were partners before he [i.e., WJ?l went to New York. LCW?l played at the Pythian Temple on Saratoga across the street from the Parish

Prison. FBdoesn't remember George Thomas.

"Bed Bug Blues" was written by [former} Louisiana Governor

JDnmie [sp?l Davis.

stormy Weather hired FB to play with him in the district, and they drank at [Renshaw's?l place on Paris Avenue. He lived on

Conti between Derbigny and Roman. FB collected lottery at his house.

SW drank heavily. He died. He smoked cigarettes, but FB does think he smoked "no weed [i.e. marijuanal or nothing. 1I FB doesn't know SW's lreall name. SW's sister also lived on Conti between

Derbigny and Roman across the street from The Coliseum.

"Game Kid" and Josky Adams were unknown to FB.

FB mentions a trumpeter, now dead, who played with " US I! at

Luthjen's. FB never played with Pete Bocage. "Coonie"was a man who ~ang·at Torn Anderson's. Fan Bourgeau Reel III September 13, 1972 Page 7

When FB was in an audience in France, he met a woman who must have been an actress who asked FB if he, knew Lulu White. FB and the actress both knew LW. FB wrote lottery in the district.

LW had blondes, brunettes, all kinds of women. There were twenty- six rooms in her house. FB did not go into all of them. He stayed in the kitchen ~~here the food i~.

END OF REEL III Fan Bourgeau Notes: Reel IV ~~:~;~ ~~~~ L,~. ~;~,~er September 13, 1972 Retype: Date completed:

Also Present: Karl Bert zur Heide Richard B. Allen

FB's brother dealt four9card /ante in "The Alley" tkt. nearrst. Bernard Circle. ....-1 .-.." j '. ~ /'i Andre Dominguez is a brot~er of Paul. Paul Dominguez

played violin with FB at Bernard's at Derbigny and

, .-/ : 1f"'l'Uj!'I,'::::\i~' V'r ;..•,r /, q, .,. .• 7;'··<.\) . ' washington" Herb Morand; 'Ofi t-rumpet, got drunk~nd they )

sent ~im home in a cab.

!!ape machine Off~

~ Bernell Santiago was tne best piano player, according

to FB. There were no others in !1is class. "He was A-Number r;r'!','( j,·L j,:,:tr.I-~~. one,~ Before BS, some other good piano players were:

Chinee Charlie, Walter Decou and Red cayou.

Jelly Roll Morton was older than FB. JRM used to

come into the club where FB played when he (FB) was a

.../ 10 j .:,( .t '.. young fellow. FB used to live next door [~~JHro~v~I~~.--~L~O~w~.~tr~&-Ie

j A..,... ~ j 0. \- ~)and FB would hear him plaY;t JRM was a young Fan Bourgeau Reel IV September 13, 1972 - Page 2

man wh:m FB was a boy. JRM must have been five or ten.,...L- ' I, 1" " :;:. ~ I,,, /}: Ii. '\.' ,;j.J- /I :~)... I Lr,-;( ...r '" years older. JRM played around~ig 25f Ed Mercier also

uJ'i,r":'" Berne!l Santiago and Walter Decou ~ tle best

{J,; • L ' '/ ..... L.4-. t ." .,!- ..k v~ ') ;,., ;L. \ ~ i,l ,'; ,; ~f- ];4.., f i' . .J-. 1.. . ) , piano players the FB remembers~if" Tony Jackson,\played

·;b.I ... /' . , ; J''/ :;-J',. around ~ [Big] 25. ,''fr:.. tJ/:J j- ' ',' or- . "<'" / • I\. J ~ •. .~ 1)1 "' ",;', (. , ,'\ _ r J D , •• I 1/' ~-<'. L- Ito" I',.'.,.... • FB's uncle lived in the district~ His uncle worked . ,-+-, . 0 'I : .. I.' ....1/Y /IJ.I..4.. /)... '. (..'·cf <:;,6.- ..... 1' u r 1)..) (). ",._" 1 .. ' " ) u f'4t.- at Big 2\ and made.l'·monfey.

Caffrey Darensbourg was FB's favorite banjo player.

"He could play the banjo like nobody's bus iness." I.'/~~ . . .;.--' , / . . ' '1. .,.--. ''\ .. ~"•. I '!';" I;' r: I .. :If. .:..,. }, ..l.. ~t , 'v/ .'-. tr ...... - Fan Bourgeau Reel IV September 13, 1972 page 3

~, " 1>-"j"7--) FB plays.straig:1t 4/4 beat. "That I S all they pI ayed. II ~, _. , '" -.,' .... : ',:; , T'.: .j.: {, ~, Lt ,r1JJJj}t,v,""-., (Y-~rki:t:lg with dnws-rl ~RBA says~ Lawrence Marrero used

:,LA'-~ to just hit the beatA John Marrero played differently.

FB played with three pieces at St. Bernard and

! - ; Claiborne. Lawrence IITocca ll [sp? j [MartinJ and lKidJ ,?I ./,-- -r. h-{;!Vl';

the straight downbeat lb is betterA-O\.~ ~' ,::. ", ~f)o.": /.):;:: ~ f"..( ;;

II' board and play ~ot of notes1 (RBA's words.) "- on FB likes Manuel paulAl tenor) sax. fiB, end MP played

I .,1 ,.,11 _ ,., (' $ ..A ,:) z,.;, j h. r PI}f ;'-;pJYr I"l "'s' ~.1\., 0158 bo~he~ once. RESTRICT: FB doesn't likeAEugene Boyd's

1:: J, ,;l;J-' .':! f, ) ill/'-':-

sax playing. 1 1 Btll tt. END RESTRICTION? Eugene Boyd owns

0167 a beautiful ~ sax•. FB ~asn't played with many i." '!....fo- /1 t .:,.. !.\ .?-' ./. " /. , V", I·J. . ~~gOOd~ amto saxophonists. Son Johnson is, [bestJ in the , .\ /< Fan Bourgeau ·Reel IV September 13, 1972 Page 4

city.

~?\ -a'rt.. \(\0 ~) Therei{larinetists left except [Joseph "Brotherj

Cornbread" 1Thomas r:

to jump the fence.

FB knew Orner Simeon but doesn't remember much about

FB met liMy Knew" Jones in Chicago. FB was sitting f\ A J::4­ ~ , \ \ Fan Bourgeau Reel IV September 13, 1972 page 5 ! i \' 'iL.. JlrfAV . ~~ ~.t ,~.'I.-;1. :l~- "- ~ jLver FB does not think Chris Kelly was so good~ i CK could I

play blues, "careless Love" and some "funny" numbers. '-...... L.

"n~ 1ialtcbe~ FB plays for the Creole Fiesta Associa- /~;j. _ .' t~f ldJ- kt·1iy4-<'- tion. ~ "

Manuel Manetta was an accordion PlaYe~ but was not

very good. He was not like the fellow with Lawrence /1 ~) ~ (.. . Ct. r;;{ ('}1k';' "" 'j' -r .4.r/'.(I. .;JiJ/f7lJ,·- Welk. elJLiLL . ·/f....:>v..J) [):,fi/J ' rBe~etanfja~?1 C® used to play at Gaspar's on Bour-

bon street. Sammy Hopkins was also there. f ~ ~ /, I, I,. , ( ""'" .' I 1'. "-'" -" i .' f

, .. (,.!lt~~. ~ ~', ', •.' J' ~ ...... ;1 )- # Dooky" is unknown to FB. I

t J~ -'»'),,. '"' ,', <'1.-_ (,J'. t',. (- .... ~r ~-r'~" \.. ~ .;.,t I ~ -rr-- . Fan Bourgeau Reel IV September 13, 1972 Page 6

FB played with Albert Glenny, a bass player; who was

good. RBA says AG was s'aid to be grouchy ~ always

[i.e., before RBA knew himj~ FB says that many musicians

were grouchy and mentions "Blue" [Robertson] who was hard

to get along with. BR never wanted to play the numbers

that FB wanted to.

{,U~ There ~~no good tuba p~ers in New Orleans except ~ •.J

[EddieJ Jackson from over the river.

} . . .r,.. t .' !.f", r-). ( [Restriction: "Louis Keppard can't play;" END RESTRICTIONj ,\

Freddie KepparJ could play. FB ~new him her~ and in Chicago, ., . t / I '-,t. --.1-..._. 1.··~17 ;::/.... " t,y" ,.t,j.~,' ~ '\ /:>~lll r-r-', .' "'. (.." r ,'. ~ ';<'.,., / [7: .. J ,. '" r. /, ~ P l ".. *" ,'I ··r ~H~.. )"'~'''' ~'.t ~ \.(JM.[\~t\., ....t..r-~,~~ ~ ;--/")' .. ..,I. ; .. :."i:' tJ.r"'V ,.z.., /...,/.' ;f.' 'T. ... ".i...... 1 :( . ",) " FB played with [Leonard] Bechet. Sidney Bechet t s

LLeonard] brother~nevercoUld play. 5B left New Orleans when he was

1)." ' t~, Y' 1 '

young. FB played with LB on Sunday~. SB played C soprano

. , c ,/ ... i.1"

FB never second lined. lIsldore] Barbarinj\ "Tats" [A~OlPhe and. "Taton" (SP?) Alexander [Jr. and Sr. J .-'f"tr'H' > • , J. Fan Bourgeau Reel IV September 13, 1972 Page 7 .I (, ,

The father (or g~andfather?) of the Humphreys played

/' .... -t t··)t'-. 'r ,j .. [baritonJ. r I: , ) ~1 " j\ " 1 ~ lPercyJ Humphrey's band was fired" [because?1 FB was "-f . l' '-, l,:';' I .. (' ....~...- I F' :.~. ,,>~',. I I ), , I ( .,...-J' (" . /'v'/' ~I'vC' .. i '. ~ . .~ five minutes late. . [; .1.,i\ 1 / 'f) ~' " ,I.v-c(\.,1 'J' )IJ.,., ..Lf :rlU" -.J :..; 1 I. .t. ,~ f!j } I./.-/>~· 1 . ," I' FB played on advertising trucks1 People said that . they could hear the ~anjo five blocks away.

Sam Chase, Dooky's brother and FE's brother-in-law, '\ AtJ J Vega couldn't play. FE~ his ID!P banjo.

FB went to~Spannol's (sp?' and(~d onion;1 tunks.

/'1 ... 9' 1 $,y ~.;., 1llA1--,lff. V';?\/ """" e 'JV..A-?q'.!J.".' . /' -- . He was afraid and was quite young at the time. Spannol's " There were lots of winos there.

FB got Winy from barrels for his father. A ;...}.I- i.' : (i'v .. -r(u -tv.',J.- .t:f ~.-;, ... '" \1 wine! Orleans and Marais. Beer in cans was sold for a

j' I tJl- ' nickel. In his backyardr had a "grind organ" with a monkey and barrel of beer. People could buy fifty bananas for five cents and a dozen oranges for R the same amount. Fan Bourgeau Reel IV September 13, 1972 page 8

JJ t: jJ prices, q~.i.f.; etc. FB's family was ppor. His father

- tJ.- k cfr~, was a shoemaker~ 1""-" / C 11 FB saw people dance the cakewalk at San Jacinto.

w(..V'(" Th~~~riZe-fights there also. FB never had a chance

to dance because he was always playing. People also

danced the schottische.

Willie pajaud was the only one [in the city?l who ,.J...-; ~~j ? could pla~quadrille. Pal Beaulieu had the mUSic." Louis

BoUrgeau,~.IL b~l~ved in the French Ouarter,

where Preservation Hall is, FB thinks.

M", j,;.c-«..",~ 9- k /;1-: . J~' .z:: ~~ FB tuned his banjo~ a~ t~e B89k ~ standard tuning!

;Cd..- He tuned his banjo from the piano 14ke all other instru- . , r~ (().fi-,;A. ~ is a guitarist. ea German guitar. A IB~}II FB I S son is a mechanic for "Xerox...... -- He also works

at Dooky [Chase]'s [sp?J. He fries steaks and has been

working there for seventeen years. The man l present on r'-:. 'i ~.> Fan Bourgeau Reel IV September 13, 1972 Page K 9

tapej is not FB's son. FB has his sonls picture.

END OF REEL IV